Situation updates

A volcano in southern Japan has erupted, spewing thick plumes of ash 5000 metres above the crater, with authorities warning of volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows. There were no reports of casualties or damage caused by the latest eruption early on Thursday at Mount Shinmoe on the border between the prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Mount Shinmoe erupted at 3.31am local time, with plumes of ash reaching up to 5000 metres, the highest since the start of its eruptive activity in early March, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency said it had observed volcanic rocks being launched as far as 1100 metres from the crater of the 1421-metre-high volcano on the island of Kyushu. The agency maintained the alert level at 3 on a scale of 5, warning that areas within three kilometres of the crater could be exposed to volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows, a mixture of ash, gas and lava. Just a month ago, an explosive eruption prompted the agency to expand the area that is likely to be affected by eruptive activity to within three kilometres of the crater. Japan sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for seismic upheavals and volcanic eruptions. The country is home to more than 100 active volcanoes.

Mount Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese main island of Kyushu erupted violently again Sunday morning following multiple powerful eruptions earlier this month, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. According to the JMA, the powerful eruptions at Mt. Shinmoe, which straddles Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, occurred from around 7: 30 a.m. local time. The volcano was seen spewing plumes of smoke and volcanic ash as high as 3,200 meters into the air from its crater. The JMA also confirmed for the first time a small pyroclastic flow occurred with an eruption at 8:45 a.m. local time, extending 800 meters from the west side of the crater. The agency has maintained its warning at level 3 out of a maximum of 5 and is warning people to stay away from the mountain and be careful of flying volcanic rocks within a radius of three km from the volcano's crater and pyroclastic flows within two km from the crater. Prior to Sunday's eruption, the 1,421-meter high volcano, located in the Kirishima mountain range, had multiple violent eruptions between March 6 and 15. There was a smaller eruption of Mt. Shinmoe on March 1 this year and the volcano previously erupted five months ago in October last year. Prior to that, Mt. Shinmoe last erupted in January 2011 and October 2017, with the latter eruption seeing volcanic ash spewed 2,300 meters above the crater.

Mount Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese main island of Kyushu erupted violently on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. According to the JMA, the powerful eruption at Mt. Shinmoe, which straddles Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, occurred at around 2:30 p.m. local time (0530 GMT) Tuesday. The 1,421-meter high volcano, located in the Kirishima mountain range, spewed plumes of smoke and volcanic ash around 2,100 meters into the air from its crater, the JMA said, amid the explosive eruption. The eruption came less than a week after a smaller eruption was observed at Mt. Shinmoe. The JMA said Tuesday it had observed volcanic tremors on the mountain since the beginning of the month and that large amplitude "low frequency earthquakes" had been frequently observed at the mountain since the early hours of Tuesday morning. The weather agency said a plume had been rising from the east side of the crater since the beginning of the month but on Tuesday morning it observed a separate plume rising from the vicinity of the crater's west side. Following Tuesday's powerful eruption, the JMA has maintained its warning at level 3 out of a maximum of 5 and is warning people to stay away from the mountain and be careful of flying volcanic rocks within a radius of 3 km from the volcano's crater. The agency also warned about the possibility of pyroclastic flows within a similar distance from Mt. Shinmoe's crater, as well as falling ash and broken glass if there's a subsequent powerful explosion which causes an air shock. There was a smaller eruption of Mt. Shinmoe on March 1 this year and the volcano previously erupted in January 2011 and October 2017 respectively, with the latter eruption seeing volcanic ash spewed 2,300 meters above the crater.

Eruptions continued Friday at Mount Shinmoe, a volcano in the Kirishima mountain range straddling Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, after a series of minor eruptions occurred on Thursday, the Meteorological Agency said. The agency said it detected a plume rising about 300 meters above the crater at one point. On Thursday, the agency issued a warning for areas within 3 kilometers of the crater, up from the 2-km radius covered by the previous warning. Large volcanic rocks could reach a point about 3 km from the crater, it said. The agency kept its volcanic alert for the 1,421-meter-high Mount Shinmoe at Level 3, warning against approaching the entire volcano. The warning areas include parts of the town of Takaharu and the city of Kobayashi, both in Miyazaki, and part of the city of Kirishima in Kagoshima. Volcanic tremors continued from around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the agency said, adding that eruptions may have started afterward. The agency received a report of volcanic ash fall from the Takaharu Municipal Government at around 11 a.m. Thursday. Volcanic activity at Mount Shinmoe could become stronger, the agency warned, noting that the amount of volcanic gas from the mountain has surged to about 5,500 tons per day. In January 2011, an explosive eruption occurred at the volcano for the first time in 52 years. The volcanic activity subsided in September that year. The agency raised the volcanic alert for Mount Shinmoe to Level 3 from Level 2 on Oct. 11 last year as the volcano erupted for the first time in about six years. Eruptions occurred intermittently until Oct. 17.